His first album featured a recording of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which brought him to near-instant stardom. The song reached number one in the UK in 1968, became a staple of his many live shows (Woodstock and the Isle of Wight in 1969, the Party at the Palace in 2002) and was also known as the theme song for the late 1980s American TV series The Wonder Years. He continued his success with his second album, which included a second Beatles song: "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window". A hastily thrown together 1970 US tour led to the live double-album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which featured an all-star band organized by Leon Russell. His 1974 recording of "You Are So Beautiful" reached number five in the US, and became his signature song. Cocker's best selling song was the US number one "Up Where We Belong", a duet with Jennifer Warnes that earned a 1983 Grammy Award. He released a total of 22 studio albums over a 43-year recording career.
In 1993, Cocker was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male. He was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque in his hometown in 2007, and received an OBE the following year for services to music. Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Cocker
Studio albums
With a Little Help from My Friends (1969)
Joe Cocker! (1969)
Joe Cocker (1972/EU: 1973)
I Can Stand a Little Rain (1974)
Jamaica Say You Will (1975)
Stingray (1976)
Luxury You Can Afford (1978)
Sheffield Steel (1982)
Civilized Man (1984)
Cocker (1986)
Unchain My Heart (1987)
One Night of Sin (1989)
Night Calls (1991/US: 1992)
Have a Little Faith (1994)
Organic (1996)
Across from Midnight (1997)
No Ordinary World (1999/US: 2000)
Respect Yourself (2002)
Heart & Soul (2004/US: 2005)
Hymn for My Soul (2007/US: 2008)
Hard Knocks (2010/US: 2012)
Fire It Up (2012)
You Took It So Hard
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know it's so good
But I know you wouldn't come clean now, baby
Even if you could
Because, White Line Fever (White Line Fever)
I'm the one deceiver
White Line Fever, yeah
Just come to me babe
We can stay right here
But you don't remember all the lines of blow
You've done this year
I said White Line Fever (White Line Fever)
I'm the one deceiver (We're gonna make you a dreamer)
White Line Fever, yeah
Take me away from you (It's a slow death)
Bye, bye, bye baby
'Cause here I come
Won't get to sleep tonight
Because the white lines turn me on
White Line Fever
We're gonna make a dreamer (Made me a believer)
White Line Fever, yeah
It's a slow death (It hasn't killed my yet)
Oh !
The lyrics of Joe Cocker's song "You Took It So Hard" reveal an intense and complex love-hate relationship between two people. The first verse opens with the suggestion of moving on from the past, and the possibility of a fresh start. The singer seems to be suggesting that they can start over, but the other person cannot be entirely honest about what has happened before. The use of the phrase "come clean" suggests a history of deceit, possibly related to drug use, as the second verse confirms.
The chorus then appears, introducing the concept of "White Line Fever". This phrase could be interpreted in a number of ways, but is usually taken to mean an addiction to cocaine. The singer is a self-confessed "one deceiver", but it is not clear who they are deceiving. Are they deceiving the other person, or themselves? Are they in control of the addiction, or is it controlling them? The chorus ends with the appeal for escape, "Take me away from you", but it is not clear whether this is a reference to the other person or to the cocaine addiction.
The second verse continues the drug theme, revealing that the other person has also been using cocaine. They "don't remember all the lines of blow/You've done this year", suggesting that the drug use has escalated beyond control. The chorus reprises, with the hint that the singer may come to regret their addiction - "It's a slow death/ It hasn't killed me yet". The final verse leaves us with the image of a restless, sleepless night, with the "white lines" providing the only source of pleasure. The final "Oh!" is ambiguous - is it a cry of ecstasy, of despair, or simply a release from the tension of the song?
Line by Line Meaning
We can move around now
We have the freedom to move and explore new things now
You know it's so good
You are aware that this is a positive change
But I know you wouldn't come clean now, baby
I am aware that you won't reveal the full truth, even if you could
Even if you could
Even if the opportunity presented itself
Because, White Line Fever (White Line Fever)
Because our addiction has taken over (our addiction to cocaine)
I'm the one deceiver
I am the one deceiving myself and others by continuing to use cocaine
White Line Fever, yeah
Our addiction to cocaine is overwhelming and dominates our lives
Take me away from you
I need to distance myself from you in order to overcome our addiction
Just come to me babe
Let's stay together and work on this addiction as a team
We can stay right here
We can continue to be together and help each other through this struggle
But you don't remember all the lines of blow
You have lost track of how much we've used this year
You've done this year
The amount of cocaine we have used in the past year
We're gonna make you a dreamer
Our addiction will give you illusions of grandeur and unrealistic dreams
Made me a believer
Cocaine has made me believe in things that are not real or achievable
It's a slow death
Our addiction to cocaine is killing us slowly
Bye, bye, bye baby
We need to let go of this destructive lifestyle and addiction
'Cause here I come
I am ready to face the reality of our situation and work towards recovery
Won't get to sleep tonight
Our addiction is keeping us up at night
Because the white lines turn me on
The allure of cocaine is too strong to resist
It hasn't killed my yet
Even though our addiction is dangerous, we haven't died from it yet
Oh !
An emotional response conveying the deep struggle of addiction
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: C J VANSTON, JOHN M SHANKS, STEVEN M. KRIKORIAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ghita Zine
This song really brought tears to my eyes... I haven't listened to it for more than five years. Thank you so much for posting it :) !!
Donald Allary
Several songs of Joe tell the story of my life. Sometimes it gives me the shivers.
Ignazio Pandolfo
Donald Allary me too
piandey
Artiste merveilleux , chanson super émouvante ....Repose en paix , et merci de nous avoir enchantés pendant toutes ces années avec ton talent
, simplicité, discrétion, amour et humanité .
Georgis Margets
Very Great singer with many wonderful songs in 70s,80s and 90s,,Rest in peace .
Evaldo Ferreira de Souza
Queria ter assistido um show au vivo. Quê pena. Quê não tive está oportunidade . Desejo quê. Descanse êm paz. Seu fã.!!!
Elson Augusto
I love this song!
Sandy Martyn
R.I.P. Joe Cocker we miss you.
Shafiq Abdul
rest in peace
Perry Hoffman
LOVE